蔵

• Reading: くら
• Romaji: kura
• Kanji breakdown: 蔵 (kura/zou) — storehouse, to store, to conceal
• Pronunciation: /kɯ.ɾa/

Meaning

Storehouse; warehouse; cellar; treasury. A traditional thick-walled Japanese building for storing valuables, food, or goods.

A noun referring to a traditional Japanese storehouse, typically constructed with thick plaster walls to protect against fire, pests, and humidity. Used to store tools, sake, miso, soy sauce, and valuables. Surviving 蔵 are cultural landmarks. Figuratively, 蔵に眠る (sleeping in the storehouse) describes something tucked away and forgotten.

Examples

1. 古い蔵の中から明治時代の文書が発見された。 Documents from the Meiji era were discovered inside an old storehouse.
2. 酒蔵を見学し、日本酒の製造工程について学んだ。 We toured a sake brewery and learned about the process of making Japanese sake.
3. 祖父の蔵には使われなくなった農具がひっそりと眠っていた。 In my grandfather's storehouse, old farming tools lay quietly forgotten.

Usage Guide

Context: architecture, history, sake, rural life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese. The kanji 蔵 (kura) combines the meaning of storing and concealing, reflecting the function of protecting and preserving valuable contents.

Cultural Context

Era: Edo–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal